Vault



L. A. CHICK May 8, 1934.

VAULT Filed June 8, 1932 '20 form the vault.

Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to vaults, and more particularly to burial vaults wherein a metallic lining is used in order to protect the contents of the vault from air and water.

Heretofore vaults, and more particularly burial vaults, have been manufactured from various materials, such as wood, metal, slate, limestone and concrete. Wooden vaults are, of course, unsatisfactory in that they are, in general, incapable of withstanding the pressure of the earth placed thereon, and in that they are not permanent, since the wood decays quite rapidly when in contact with earthy materials and water. Furthermore, wooden vaults are most unsatisfactory in that they do not protect the contents of the vault from air and water.

. Metallic vaults are entirely unsatisfactory, since it is necessary to make them from a number of pieces of metal which are Welded together to It has been found in practice that satisfactory joints between the metal parts which form the vault are quite frequently not obtained, with the result that air and water enter the vault. Metallic vaults are also unsatisfactory for the reason that metals which are suinciently corrosive-resistant are much too expensive for use in such structures. All of the metals which are practical are not sufliciently corrosiveresistant, as they are subjected to severe conditions when placed in the ground.

Slate and limestone have been used in the building of vaults. Vaults made from these materials, of course, are sectional in character and a large number of joints must necessarily be formed. Frequently, these joints are not airtight and water-tight, and the air and water come in contact with the contents thereof.

Concrete vaults are undoubtedly the most satisfactory type used at the present time. The concrete, of course, is not affected by the surrounding earth, air and water, and vaults of concrete are unitary. That is, it is not necessary that they be made in sections, as is the case with metallic, slate and limestone vaults. Concrete, if formed of sumcient density, will substantially prevent any water or air from coming in contact with the contents of the vault.

Many objections have been raised to the plain concrete vault, as well as to the other types of vaults above referred to, as a result of which it has been heretofore proposed to line the vaults with a material which will ensure against any possibility of air or water coming in contact with the contents of the vault. It has been hereto- 55 fore proposed to line such vaults with asphalt and with metal. The linings which have been heretofore made of metal have been made of several sheets of metal which have been united by welding or like processes. The joints formed in this manner are entirely unsatisfactory, due to the fact that they are frequently not air-tight or water-tight. The human element, of course, enters into the formation of these joints and they are frequently improperly formed. Furthermore, y it is diflicult and expensive to form a satisfactory seal between the lining for the top portion of the vault and the lining for the body portion. In many cases, they have been welded together, but this is entirely impractical in View of the fact that it involves tedious work at the cemetery.

By my invention I provide a method of lining vaults which can be carried out expeditiously and economically, and which results in the construction of a vault which is free of all of the above objections and is absolutely air-tight and watertight and can be readily and cheaply constructed.

According to my invention, the inside of the body or base portion of the vault is lined with a single sheet of metal. This lining is preferably of lead but may be made of any other metal or material which is sufiiciently malleable to permit bending to the desired size or shape without weakening the material or without causing the formation of cracks or fissures therein. The top portion of the vault is also, according to my invention, lined with a single sheet of metal bent to substantially conform to the inner surface of the top. As can be readily seen, lining of this character can be applied to either rigid or sectional vaults and can be applied to vaults wherein either the top and bottom linings are to be sealed together, or in vaults wherein an air or other type seal is used. Where it is desired to form a direct seal between the linings for the upper and lower portions of the vault, any desired method of sealing can be used. By my invention I also provide a new and useful method of sealing the vault, where a direct seal between the two linings is contemplated.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown 100 for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood, however, that it may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the appended 105 claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a vault embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the body por- 110 tion of the vault and showing the bead extending completely around the uppermost ledge;

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view showing one wall of the vault and the lining therefor, and the bead after it has been formed, but before the top has been lowered thereon;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the formation of the bead which extends around the top ledge of the body portion of the vault; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the formation of the joint between the beads extending along one side and along one end of the vault.

The vault shown in the drawing comprises a body portion 2 and a top portion 3. The body portion 2 is formed with a top ledge 4 and a lower ledge 5. The top portion of the vault has a ledge 6 adapted to cooperate with the upper ledge 4 of the body portion and a lower ledge 7 adapted to cooperate with the lower ledge 5 of the body.

A lining 8 comprising a single sheet of lead or like material is placed in the body portion of the vault and rolled against the sides, ends and bot tom thereof, by means of suitable rollers. If de sired, the lining may be made secure to the inside of the vault by the use of asphalt or any other slow-drying adhesive material.

The sheet of material forming the lining 8 may be formed to the desired shape by placing it over a form before it is placed in the vault. The sheet 8 is folded over the form in such manner that it will snugly fit the contour of the inside of the vault, and after it is placed therein, it is hammered and rolled against the sides of the vault and secured thereto in the manner above stated.

In folding the lead lining to the desired shape, surplus material, of course, will be obtained on each end of the vault. This surplus material may be bent around on the end of the vault and will appear triangular in shape, as shown in Figure 4. This triangular fold is designated by the reference character 9. Two of such triangular folds will appear adjacent each end of the lining of the vault.

After the lining 8 is placed in the vault, the edges thereof will extend above the upper ledge 4. The corners of the lining are then cut down to the level of the upper ledge and the lining I extending above the upper ledge of the body portion will be bent over the ledge and a head 10 formed thereon. This bead may be formed around a resilient material, such as hemp, asbestos, or other like material 11. Any suitable tool may be used for forming this bead. This bead with the resilient material therein permits the formation of an effective air and water seal between the top and body of the vault.

The end pieces of the lining having the surplus material are so cut that the bead 10 on each end of the vault will have a projecting portion 12 which projects out beyond the bead formed on the sides of the vault. The projecting portions 12 on each end of each bead on each end of the vault are bent around the adjacent portion of the bead extending along the side of the vault, so as to form a connection between the beads on the sides and ends of the vault, as shown at 13 in Figure 5. Thus, a continuous head is formed on the upper ledge of the body portion of the vault, which bead is formed about resilient material.

The inside of the top portion of the vault is also lined. The lining 20 comprises a single sheet of lead or similar material and is placed in the top 3 and rolled or hammered to conform to the general contour thereof. This lining may likewise be secured to the inside of the top by means of asphalt or any other slow-drying adhesive material. The lining 20 of the top extends over the upper ledge 6 of the top and projects downwardly toward the lower ledge 7. Calking cement 21 or a similar resilient or cushioning material may be placed between the lining 20 and the ledge 6 of the top of the vault. This aids in the formation of a tight joint between the top and bottom linings. When the top of the vault is lowered on the body portion, the lining 20 will contact with the bead 10 extending around the upper ledge of the body portion of the vault and due to the weight of the top, will form therewith a substantially perfect seal which will prevent air or water from entering the vault. The bead when originally formed will be as shown in Figure 3, but when the top 20 is lowered thereon, due to the weight of the top, it will assume a position such as that shown in Figure 1. When the top is lowered on the body portion, some of the calking cement or other material 21 will be forced downwardly between the edge of the lining for the top and the inner side of the top, and will form an additional seal 22 between the top and the body. This seal is shown at one side of Figure 1. If sufficient material is not placed between the lining and the top, no additional seal will be formed between the body and the top. This condition is shown on the right hand side of Figure 1.

As an additional precaution against moisture or air entering the vault, cement, as shown at 23, may be placed on the lower ledge 5 of the vault and when the top is lowered thereon, an effective seal will be formed thereby.

As can readily be seen, the above described method of lining a vault results in a vault lined with only two sheets of material, which are effectually joined together so that there is no possibility of air or moisture entering the vault. Where an air seal is used, the two linings do not contact with each other, but they do prevent air from entering and breaking the seal.

My invention may be applied to rigid, sectional or other types of vaults. Any material may be used which may be bent to substantially the contour of the inner surfaces of the vault. Where other than air seals are used, the linings may be bent in various manners so as to form an effective seal therebetween, although I have found the one described specifically herein to be preferable for the type of vault shown.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not propose to be limited thereby, as my invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a burial vault having a body portion and a closure therefor, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the body, and a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the closure.

2. In a burial vault having a body portion and a closure therefor, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour 3. In a burial vault having a base portion and a top portion, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the base, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the top, and means for forming a substantially air-tight and water-tight joint between said sheets.

4. In a burial vault having a base portion and a top portion, said base portion having a ledge extending around the circumference thereof, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the base and having a bead formed thereon adapted to lie over said ledge, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the top portion of the vault, said sheet being adapted to cooperate with the bead formed on the lining for the base portion to form a seal therebetween.

5. In a burial vault having a base portion and a top portion, said base portion having a ledge extending around the edges thereof, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the body and having a bead formed thereon at the upper edge thereof adapted to lie over said ledge, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the top portion of the vault and adapted to cooperate with the bead formed on the lining of the body portion to form a seal therebetween.

6. In a burial vault having a body portion and a top portion, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the body, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the top portion of the vault, one of said sheets having a bead formed on the edge thereof adapted to cooperate with the lining for the other portion of the vault to form a seal therebetween.

7. In a burial vault having a body portion and a top portion, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the body, a folded seamless sheet of metal substantially conforming to the contour of the inside of the top portion of the vault, one of said sheets having a bead formed on the edge thereof adapted to cooperate with the lining for the other portion of the vault to form a seal therebetween, said bead being formed about a resilient material.

LESLIE A. CHICK. 

